La Petite Mort

As designers and storytellers, we are dedicated to creating moments of magic and passion each day. But not every moment is lasting – or meant to be – and not all of our creations are destined for the hands of our clients. Some are frankly more aptly experienced for ourselves. This publication is the initial embrace of these moments. La Petite Mort is a French euphemism for orgasm (“the little death”). In creating this project, we’ve found a way to gratify ourselves and bring our artistic aims to euphoric heights. We hope these windows into our souls whet your appetite, but please... keep your pants on.

Commitment. The word stirs up a variety of synonyms. Allegiance. Dedication. Devotion. Faith. These are the words we not only say, but in formative moments of our life, these are words we truly feel. Let’s look deeply into this act, this wont to commit. It is so essentially human yet so innately complex. In exploring what it offers us, we may just discover something deeper within ourselves.

In its simplest form, karma is defined purely as an action, work, or deed. But there is much more nuance and depth to this concept waiting for exploration. Many ancient traditions accept karma as a law of our existence — neither good nor bad — simply functioning in response to our own actions and reciprocating in kind. Karma in its essential state is neutral.

Why does metamorphosis occur? Does it take place more than we realize? Are we giving ourselves and the world around us enough constant scrutiny and self-observation to really know? The subtle shifts that change our perspective, the gossamer edges that obscure the mystical and otherworldly fringes of this idea—these are the juicy bits we’re after.

Over time, our memories degrade. They get offloaded to our devices and journals. They begin to be colored by our perception and morph into near-truths. Amidst these subtle changes in our memories, we lose sight of the actual experience and instead grow new, semi-accurate versions of the facts. Whether this is detrimental or blissful is not for us to decide. It simply is. Let’s begin to remember.

Habits take all forms. They shape-shift and continue to challenge us. We each have habits we revere. We strive to convert them to traits. But we also have habits we abhor. Often these are easily spotted in the actions of another, but if we are being completely honest, they are more often a reflection of the habits we have a reflexive distaste for in ourselves.

Cultural taboos are a part of our human condition. They provide the borders that we use to define our individuality while simultaneously giving a perhaps unnecessary weight to the oft-unspoken expectations of society. But they also give us opportunities to test our limits; to challenge what it is we think might be forbidden.

What little choice we have about the whole affair. Thrust into this world with no warning, our clumsy selves amble around like the confused spirits they are until we reach a point of awareness. But throughout our lives, we are given choices at each of these points, these fabled crossroads. Choices that define ourselves.

Every moment of passion destroys as much as it empowers. We wanted to liberate ourselves and gratify our curiosities. To release a certain pent-upness of mental and emotional sparkle. We needed a little euphoria. And we needed to share it with you.